Walk in heels raises funds, awareness of domestic abuse

Staff photos by Tom Kelly IV
Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Chester County, took part at Great Valley Middle School on Sunday, May 4. The event asked for men to walk a mile in women’s shoes to raise awareness of abuse and to money for the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County.

They may have put their best foot forward, but it still looked like a bunch of guys in women’s high heels.

The Domestic Violence Center of Chester County sponsored a Walk-A-Mile in her Shoes fundraiser Sunday to raise awareness of their issue. Guys walked a mile route around the campus of the Great Valley High School campus in East Whiteland to raise money and awareness..

Most of the men looked surprisingly steady, if hardly fetching, or all that coordinated in high heels. Several elected officials walked, including mayors Dave Burton of Malvern, Geoff Henry of Oxford and Josh Maxwell of Downingtown.

“It’s a wonderful cause to support,” said Henry.

Advertisement

He said he didn’t have too much trouble getting around in the purple high heels that he borrowed, but admitted the walk in the heels was tough exercise for “his old thighs.” He was appreciate the course was well laid out with “no hills.”

The course wended through the parking lots of the senior and junior high schools of the Great Valley complex.

A much younger community officer, Downingtown’s Maxwell eyed the shoes he was provided with some suspicion before trying them on. He declared that the red shoes with longish heels fit fine. “They had men sizes for me,” he said. “Look,” he said, pointing at the size after pulling a shoe back off. “Couldn’t ask for anything more than that,” he said, smiling.

“ Who would have thought?” he said. He stared up, blankly, for a second, then shrugging. “I guess I should have known.”

Some guys, however, chickened out. A man who called himself Eddie wore women’s wedges. “I never wore heels in my life,” he said. “I didn’t want to end up in the ER.”

Similarly, Van Keuren of East Fallowfield, a wide man well above six foot, showed up in woman’s wedges that he said were “remarkably comfortable.” He was, however, dressed in a plaid number that either passed for a dress or an ersatz kilt.

The weather was cloudy, windy, and threatening rain, and Keuren declared with open arms: “Feels like Scottish weather.”

While the weather was maddeningly spring-like going from sunny to cloudy to sprinkling rain and back, the event went off without noticeably sprained ankles.

Event organizer Christina Whinnery said the “Walk a Mile” concept was used internationally to raise awareness of the domestic violence issue.

She said she was drawn to the Chester County Domestic Violence Center as a volunteer to support because the organization involved men and women.

She was drawn to this particular event because it helped give men a better understanding of the problems faced by women in a domestic violence situation – hence the idea of having men do the “walk” in high heels to publicize the issue.

“We have a bunch of people wanting to help, fathers, brothers, husbands, grandfathers,” she said.

She was impressed that the organization did not just work to help victims when they are hurt, but to give them education and tools to help make their lives better.

Dolly Wideman-Scott, chief executive officer of the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, said the nonprofit organization works with victims of domestic violence and their children

Their 24-hour hotline provides a way for victims to get access to services that includes counseling, shelter, long term housing, legal advisors to help navigation legal services, and support groups.

“Chester County has been wonderful, there are so many partnership with so many organizations, the district attorney’s office and law enforcement,” she said.

She was particularly thankful for implementation of a program where police officers responding to calls will automatically refer victims of domestic violence to services. “We’re really excited about that,” she said.

The event also featured short presentations of services available to not only help victims but to help children and people involved with violence overcome aggression.

Motivational speaker Edie Weinstein said she works with youth survivors of abuse, many who are dealing with addictions. In some cases, families have multiple generations of abuse. “We tell them it stops with you – it’s not an excuse,” she said.

A misconception is that victims only involve women. “The perpetrator is not always a man,” she said. She added that men don’t turn in reports as often because of a stigma of a man reporting abuse by a woman.

“It is no more OK for a woman to abuse a man than for a man to abuse a woman.”